Chapter 5: Lost and Found
"You really think that the president is somewhere here?" Eleena said and watched at the destroyed buildings of sector 7.
"I don't know another place" Reno said while kicking a small stone out of the way.
"Does this has anything to do with that ixion-case Heidegger mentioned?" she asked.
"You should better forget about this!" Reno warned her. "This is only a figment in Heidegger's mind"
"But Heidegger is right" Elena meant thoughtfully. "I never understood what is going on in the presidents mind either"
"Elena! You are talking too much!" Reno said copying Tseng.
This was enough to make the youngest member of the turks silent.
Rude said nothing. The balded turk said never much anway.
He and Reno were in one team for years now and he was exactly the opposite.
"The president is a good person and if he does something he has his reasons" he said suddenly.
"He is definetly better than his old man!" Reno said. "Geez! You should have heard him when he gave me the order to blow up the Column of sector 7!!"
He shook his body as if he felt cold.
"That guy really was caustic!!" he meant.
"I guess president Rufus thinks exactly the same" Eleena meant.
"I understand the president if he doesn't want to come back" Reno meant plain.
"What do you mean?" the young turk asked.
Rude cleaned his throat.
"From the day he took over he was labeled to be a person like his father and walking into the footsteps of his old man. Nobody gave him a chance" he explained.
"He tried everything in his hands to save the world" Reno added. "But the people hated him only because he is a Shin-Ra"
"I've never seen him laughing or smiling…" Eleena said sadly.
"Ever tried to tell him a joke?" Reno jocked.
"No…" she said.
"That is the point. You have no friends. You have no free time. Only work, work, work and only a company. And for that you are even hated!" he meant.
"And even this is away now…" Elena concluded.
Rude nodded only.
"What is in the bag?" Elena asked Rude.
"Things for the president in the case we find him" Reno answered. "And in the case we find him I will never force him to come with us".
He took out the gun with the narcoticum he had under his jacked and placed it in the holster again.
"But this was an order!" Elena meant.
"I don't take orders from Heidegger if they are against the will of the president!" Reno pointed out.
"If we find the president we will stay and protect him." Rude meant. "No matter what happens!"
"Any problems with that?" Reno asked the women.
"No! Of course not!" meant Elena and saluted.
"If he is here then there are not many options to stay" the red-haired turk pointed out.
"There is only one place," Rude said.
Reno grinned.
"You are right Rude!" he said. "I am sure you are happy for that"
They were standing in front of the 7th Heaven bar.
"It doesn't look inhabited," Elena meant watching at the boards on the window.
The door opened and Gina looked into the room and watched surprised as Rufus and Tifa were laughing about something. They looked at her.
"There is someone at the door!" Gina pointed out.
Rufus stood up and limped to the window.
"I cannot see who it is!" he said trying to watch through some holes in the board in front of the window.
"I will go at the door," Tifa said. "Don't worry! I will not tell anyone that you are here"
Before Rufus could say anything she was already on the way downstairs.
He took the trench coat and the shotgun next to his bed.
"Rufus!" Gina pointed out. "Robbers don't knock on doors"
"But it's better to be careful" he said and went to the door to the staircase.
He heard Tifa open the door.
"Sorry guys!" she said to the persons outside. "We have closed!"
"Miss Lockhart!" Reno said greeting. "You know… we are searching for someone. Could it be that you saw him? He is about 1.90 metres tall, blue eyes and blonde hair!"
"I know only one person who fit to this description and he should be dead!" Tifa said.
She wanted to close the door again but Reno stopped her.
"We will find the president, no matter what!" the red-haired turk meant with a smile.
"I don't have a president here!" Tifa answered in a rough tune. "Search dead people somewhere else!"
She wanted to close the door again.
"I suggest the Shin-Ra-Tower!" she added blinking.
"But we would like to start here!" Reno only said and went simply through the door followed by Rude and Elena.
"If you did anything to him… then…" he warned Tifa coming closer to her.
"Reno!" he heard a well-known calm voice coming from upstairs. "That is enough!"
"President Rufus" the turks said as Rufus limbed down the stairs.
Tifa was surprised with how many dignity Rufus Shin-Ra limbed down the stairs under his current health condition.
"Mr President—" Reno began.
"I know why you are here Reno," the president just meant.
"Then—" he began again.
"I will not come with you" Rufus cut him off again.
"Understood!" Reno and Rude meant and saluted.
Tifa stepped next to the Shin-Ra.
"Rufus… " She whispered. "You need medical treatment"
"Don't worry about me," he answered without looking at her. "I will be allright"
Elena smiled at him.
"I am happy to see you alive President Rufus," she said in a cheering way.
"Thank you Elena" he commented.
"Are you really ok Prez?" Reno asked. "That was really a great bang up there!"
"What happened up there?" Elena asked.
Rufus thought for a moment and raised his hand to his chin.
"I don't remember," he simply said. "It all happened so quickly but when I woke up I was still alive"
His leg began to tremble and he started to loose his balance.
Everyone around him stepped before to steady him but he found balance again and raised his hand.
"I am fine!" he said and limbed to a chair to sit down.
"I was ready to meet my destiny," he said not looking at anyone in the room. His eyes widened.
"Rufus!" Tifa called out. "Are you ok?"
He looked at her as if he discovered something that shocked himself.
"Tifa—" he began. "I have to return!"
"Miss Lockheart and her friend are not save here." Rufus said. "They will come with us"
The Turks saluted.
Tifa looked at him in awe.
"It is for your own safety," he explained. "Please! Trust me one more time"
He looked at him suspiciously and he gave her a sly smile.
"I promise not to execute you," he said with a blink.
Rude stepped forward and opened the bag he was still holding.
Rufus nodded as he saw the white suit in it.
He gave Rude his shotgun and took the bag.
"I will not need much time" he meant and looked at Tifa. "Please prepare to leave"
She nodded but could not hide her anger about his arrogance to decide for her.
He sighed and limbed back upstairs.
A half hour was over and Rufus was just in the bathroom as he heard someone enter the bedroom.
"Who is there?" he asked.
"It's me!" Tifa said.
"What is it?" he asked and came out just closing the last buttons of his outer jacket.
Tifa looked surprised at him as she saw that he looked nearly the same as before the attack except the scar over his left eye. He was fresh shaved and had geled his hair back.
"I just would like to know the reasons for your sudden decision" she said and stepped close to him to correct the collar of his suit.
He nodded and sat on the bed.
"I remembered what happened just before the explosion" he started.
He rubbed his eyes and paused for a moment.
"I was there in the 70th floor and as I saw the beams coming near I was ready to die—" he paused again as if it was heavy for him to go on.
"Do you know how many thoughts you can have in a few seconds?" Rufus asked her facing her again.
Tifa shook her head and sat next to him.
He lowered his gaze and shook his head slowly with closed eyes.
"Indescribable many" he whispered.
He covered his face with both hands.
"I don't remember what broke me first" he went on with a trembling voice. "The fact that I felt like nothing in this moment. Like I would vanish into thin air. Or that I was alone in this moment and I could do nothing. I could only prepare to die"
He sunk into himself and began to sob. She looked at him and touched his shoulder. Tifa suddenly understood that under his tough shell he just realized the shock and the heavy weight on his shoulders.
As he felt her hand he tried to take control over himself again but the feelings in him were too strong and the sobbing changed into crying.
"This feeling of loneliness and absolute helplessness—" he began again.
She stroked his back and was surprised as he felt into her arms and cried even more. She did not know what to do and caressed his hair to comfort him.
"Rufus…" she said in a low voice. "You are not dead and you are not alone"
He did not stop to cry and she hugged him back.
They stayed like this for some minutes and suddenly he stood up again and turned his back to her.
"Thank you—" he began with a still trembling voice.
"I mean… I am sorry—" he added and went into the bathroom again.
She waited patiently a few minutes until Rufus came out again. She could see that his behaviour before was now embarrassing for him. He still had red eyes and could not see into her face.
"Will you come with me?" he asked still not facing her.
"Yes" she said. "But I still don't understand your decision"
"Shin-Ra is my legacy and so I have a great debt to repay to the world," he explained rubbing his eyes again.
"I cannot simply go on to blame my father and I have the responsibility now" he added.
He turned around to face her.
"I started it and now I have to go on," he said in a strong voice this time.
Tifa smiled at him and nodded.
"Miss Lockheart…" he began and sat next to her again.
"I am really thankful for your support and you cannot imagine what it means to me," he said touching her hands in her lap.
Tifa blushed.
"You are welcome Rufus.. I mean President Rufus," she said with a sweet smile.
This time he did not object to be called president.
They said nothing for a while.
"Where are we going?" Tifa asked when she started to feel uncomfortable.
"Sub-Midgar" he answered letting go of her.
"Never heard about it," Tifa meant.
"It is another of Shin-Ra's secrets," he said blinking.
He went to the door but turned around again.
"Ehm... How do I look?" he asked her embarrassed.
"You look great" she said smiling and she meant it.
He really looked great and the scar over his eye changed that not even one bit. It gave him a touch of audacity. She could not understand how she saw a similarity with cloud. His features were much more fine.
He smirked and opened the door.
"We will wait for you downstairs" he said and limbed slowly downstairs.
Tifa came down with a small suitcase and saw the turks standing around Rufus who was sitting on a chair massaging is left leg with Dark Nation beside him.
Gina was already ready and waiting too.
"Do you have any plans now Mr. President" she heard Elena asking.
"I don't know now Elena." Rufus answered. "First I have to get an overview about the current situation".
The turks nodded.
"How is Tseng?" the president asked.
Elena bowed her head.
"Still no improvement" she meant sad.
Rufus only nodded but could not hide the concern in his face.
"Ahh… Lockheart!" Reno called out as he noticed her. "The bus is already waiting outside!"
"Mr President" Rude said in a respectful manner. "Are you ready?"
"Of course" Rufus said and stood up with some difficulties.
Rude offered his arm for help and the young Shin-Ra looked at him.
"Rude…" he said. "Are you proposing?"
The other turkes started to chuckle and Rude stepped away again refixing his sunglasses.
"All right. Let's go." Rufus meant and lifted himself to his feet without bending his left leg.
The turks went outside first and checked the location.
"Everything clear, sir" Elena said and the Rufus and the others followed outside.